Kauni Complete

The Kauni has been lurking, untouched, for a few months; partly because I couldn't face the picking up of the 175 stitches around the sleeve opening; partly because I feared I may run out of yarn. Decisive action was called for and to that end the whole job lot went to SkipNorth with me last weekend.

Though it took me all of Friday evening and part of Saturday, too, I finally managed to pick up all the stitches and was ready to whirl my way gaily down the final sleeve. I've been such a good girl and have resisted the call of the nine (9) kilos of lace weight yarn I can't quite believe I bought in Yorkshire; the call of the Niebling patterns I acquired; the spindle and roving I got to learn to spin with; the wrap pattern that I got, with the yarn already wound for it. I turned away from all of them and I finished the Kauni - just in time to present it to 'im indoors on his birthday.

The front:



The back:



All done and am I pleased.

I didn't have time to wash and block it so I did a little steaming. Basically, I laid a wet cloth over the knitting and very gently (hardly touching at all) placed a hot iron over the cloth to force steam through the fibres. My knitting is fairly even, anyway, so this was enough. It also sorted out the slight tendency of the back neckband to flip to the outside. Never underestimate the power of blocking!

I've now started on the Wrap Me Up Wrap but things are not going well. There is nothing wrong with the pattern (except there are no charts and I'd really rather have charts now) but it's all down to the choice of yarn. I bought three huge skeins (about a kilo) of brown/beige/grey variegated yarn from Coldspring Mill while we were in Yorkshire, specifically for this wrap. However, I am not happy with progress.

Here's the first (of 21) blocks:



See, I just don't think that this pattern does anything for this yarn (or maybe vice versa). I think the pattern needs longer runs of colour - something like Noro Silk Garden or Kureyon, or maybe Rowan Tapestry. So now I have a few options - frog the thing right now or keep on going for a bit longer (but I don't think it's going to get any better); order some more yarn to make it (more research needed and a money tree in the garden would be handy); root through the stash to see if there is enough of something suitable. I know there isn't - I'd have to mix and match colours and yarns and when Debbie New or Prudence Mapstone do that it looks like a work of art, when I do it, it looks like a dog's dinner.

Also, what to do with a kilo of brown/beige/grey variegated yarn from Coldspring. Any ideas?

Saturday field is, in fact, Sunday field this week:



I don't know how that happened - it has been raining quite a bit but the river seemed to creep up on me while my back was turned.